The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-07-22
Details of the Accident.

HoHoKUs, N. j., July 2L-At 7:15 o'clock this
morning a horrible accident occurred on the
Erie railroad at point about third of mile
above Hohokus resulting in the killing of eleven
men and the serious injury of others. A gang
of forty-two Italian laborers were at work ballast
ing the tracks when they noticed the milk train
coming up the road from hohokus. They i'm
mediately stepped over to the down track, but
in heir hurry failed to notice the Chicago ex-
press bearing down upon them. Before any
one knew exactly what happening the ex-
press had plowed into their midst, knocking the
unfortuuates right and left, killing ten of the
number outright and wounding six Others one
so badly that ne died before he reached Pater-
son, whittier the wounded were carried
as accommod alton could be secured to convey
them. The express was unable to come to a
stop until it reached the Hohokus station, where
il found that the cowcatcher and step of
the engine were broken, but no other damage
done.
Investigation shows that the train hands were
entirely blameless. The wounded were not
moved until half an hour later. when construc-
ton train took them to Paterson. All the sta
ton hands who were available. well some
residents in the vicinity. FASTENED to the scene,
where the comrades of the dead and injured
men were already administering to the wants of
those who not past needing assistance
Most of the unfortunates had been hurled down
the embankment of the down track. while some
were lying around between the rails, horribly
mutiated. Hats, coats and shoes which had been
torn from the victims, were scattered about, and
in some places were little pools of blood, pieces
of human bones, and ragged strips OF flesh
Some had their logs torn off, others were lying
with hideous gashes in their heads and some
were so horribly maneed to be unrecocniz-
able. The killed were: Giuseppe Torrio, Rim
aldo Geneive, CALICO Pisagree, Dominica
Stamproo. Donodo Damporosa, Pasnaele Dbl
ano Michael Tobio, two men named Dominica
Saldonella, and one whose name is unknown.
One man. with his shoulder fractured,
found sitting under a bridge $50 yards from
where be was struck, where he had been carried
by the engine. He taken with the other
five wounded to the Paterson hospital.
The railroad men have different opinions to
who is to blame for the accident. Some censure
Connolly. foreman of the gang, but he
around the curve at the tool box, and
able to see the train. His assistant was with
the gang and some regard him responsible,
but he explains that the suddenness of the
arrival of the trains put all precautions naught.
as there was no time to warn the men, and his
voice could not have been heard above the noise.
Moreover. the Chicago express was not time,
and he had no way of knowing of its proximity.
The men were probably much to blame
anybody. They are insufferably stupid at times,
and have to be pulled out of the way of ap-
preaching trains. All the dead men were mar
ried.
Conductor Hamper. who was the construc-
ton train behind the express, states that he
never so horrible a scene One unfortunate,
whose brains were scattered for twenty yards
along the tracks, jumped up three times after
he was thrown aside by the cow-catcher, and
another man whom he went to lift up bv the
hand while he was yet quivering, caught his
wrist in a convulsive death grip from which he
was with difficulty released. He saw many
similar cases, and describes the shrieks and
groaus of the wounded and dying as something
awful.
The names of the six wounded men are as fol-
lows: Dominica Scranoux, leg broken and con-
fusion about the body; Henry Lops, broken arm
and scalp wound; Joseffa Fostie, badly cut and
bruised about the body and head: Palermo Ten
tia broken leg. contusions about the body, and
internal injuries; Ambrose Mlchaele Candoux,
Commissions about the body and internal
injuries; he got up and walked about
after the accident, but afterward suffered so
much pain that he was sent to the hospital with
the others. The name of the sixth man is be-
lieved to be Maino. or Marino He was so fright
fully injured about the head and body as to be
unrecognizable.